Have you ever wanted to make something? To use your hands or technology to create? Then you want to be a manufacturer, someone who takes raw materials and turns them into something more. Central Louisiana Technical Community College’s many manufacturing options can get you there. Whether it’s a six-month certificate program or a two-year technical degree, the skills you need are here, waiting for you.
There are several ways to learn more about manufacturing at CLTCC, starting with C4M. It’s a 15-hour certificate program that builds core skills you need to get that entry-level position at a manufacturer in just six months. You can go further in honing your skills by specializing and spending more time with high-quality faculty, many of whom have experience in the field you want to enter. You can go so far as to earn an associate’s degree at CLTCC or use those credits to get a head start at a four-year university.
"I love it. I'm learning a lot. You come in blind to everything, but now I know a lot. . I'm learning everything about my department."
Dario Carter (AFCO), studentYour manufacturing education at CLTCC begins with C4M, a certificate program that can be your only step or just your foot in the door. The 15-hour program builds the core skills you need to get that entry-level position at a manufacturer like RoyOMartin and Gilchrist in just six months. You also can earn a state-recognized credential from LED FastStart to put you even further ahead.
Take another step and specialize. Hone those skills with classes in machine tools technology and industrial instrumentation. Get hands-on training with a potential employer through an internship.
Stay at CLTCC for another semester, completing either a certificate or diploma in a specialty you choose, and become even more competitive in the job field.
In six months to two years at CLTCC, you can earn everything from a certificate in manufacturing to an associate’s degree in technical studies. Those credits transfer to a four-year university like Northwestern State University if you want to keep going for a bachelor’s.
Still in high school? You can get an early start. Students can dual enroll while in high school and take CLTCC classes at a lower rate, often paid for by the school district with no cost to the student. They can start as early as junior year and on average earn 24 hours by the time they graduate from high school. That’s about two semesters of college completed before freshman year even starts.
With seven campuses in Central Louisiana there’s one near you.
The school opened a brand-new $1 million manufacturing training center facility on the Alexandria campus in November 2015. It features high-tech equipment for instrumentation, robotics, mechatronics and more to offer students hands-on learning.
In addition to the main campus in Alexandria, CLTCC has campuses in Cottonport, Ferriday, Jena, Leesville, Oakdale and Winnfield and also services the Avoyelles Correction Center.
A brand-new downtown Alexandria campus is on its way, potentially opening for the fall 2017 semester.
There are jobs available in Cenla and across Louisiana. Gilchrist Construction HR officials said the company is always looking for heavy equipment operators, carpenters, laborers and mechanics, just to name a few. Cleco HR officials attend career fairs at local high schools and higher education institutions “to start early and let them know we have an employer here at home,” said Basil Smith with Cleco. RoyOMartin is currently advertising openings for supply chain associates, a mobile diesel mechanic, several supervisor positions and more.
You can start off making $20,000-$30,000, but every level of education pushes that number higher. Take for example RoyOMartin, where starting pay is $13.35 an hour and the average work week is 45 hours. That’s more than $30,000 right at the start.
But that can grow quickly as skills grow through work experience as well as further training at CLTCC. Average pay at the plywood facility after one year is 9.5 percent higher than the starting rate, and after two years is over 15 percent higher. Average hourly employee pay is over $18 an hour – that’s over $42,000 a year.
Manufacturing really wasn't my first choice, but it's a lot more in-depth than just putting stuff in a box. Now I make the products.